How to Move Away from Dark Thoughts

Disappointment, loss and devastation come in many forms. We feel it when we lose the gig we had hoped for, when someone we love dies, when our children leave us, when friends betrays us, when a partner cheats…

Wins and loses are inevitable. What is not inevitable is the way to choose to respond to these circumstances. We cannot necessarily diminish the pain and shock of some losses and it is always best to take the time to process our emotions. Then we get to make choices about how to proceed in our lives.

When armed with certain self-care practices, we are poised to settle down and understand the deeper layers within. When we can effectively ground ourselves we are better equipped to tap into the power within and carry on—despite the inevitable challenges that we face internally, relationally and collectively.

Today is another day that is rich with new possibilities. Each one of us gets to choose how we wish to rise up and live our lives. Will we despair over the difficulties and losses or will we continue to create more love, intimacy, connection, self-expression, purpose and meaningful contribution for the greater good?

Photo by Larry Glick

Only we can choose whether to go this way or that way. Only we have the power to manage our thoughts—which as you know ultimately becomes our reality.

How to Shift to a More Positive Perspective:

You have the power to capture dark thoughts as they arise.

By raising your consciousness about the presence of negative thoughts you’ve already begun to position yourself to make a mental shift.

Allow yourself to momentarily pause to give yourself the opportunity to witness and assess these negative thoughts: “Is this true?” “How is this helping me?” etc. Take a couple of breaths to help ground you in this practice.

Now is the best time to summon the power within to reframe these thoughts into a reality based but more positive and hopeful perspective.

Each time you shift your thoughts in this way you are taking charge of your inner world and changing the way your brain fires.

You are enlisting your brain to operate on your behalf instead of sabotaging your sense of well-being. You have the strength to move through even the darkest experiences when you learn how to shift your perception—which begins by capturing and reframing negative thoughts.

Everyday presents a new opportunity to create the life you wish rather than settling for the status quo. That power lies within you and can be accessed by developing a few simple skills such as the one described above.

What do you do when the negativity fires up in your mind?

As always I’d love to hear your thoughts!! That’s where it all begins…

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